Pay It Forward Meme

I will send a gift to the first three people who leave a comment requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet, but you will receive it within 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making a similar agreement on your journal.


I got tagged for this by bfmomma because she gave me a beautiful, hand-knit Everlasting Bagstopper for being one of her three recipients of this Pay It Forward. Here is a picture of the one I received:

I do not know what my gifts will be yet, but you can make special requests. I do sell coffee and tea so if there is a flavor you'd like from there, let me know. I also have some leftover Passion Parties inventory, and if you're interested in that, I can get you a list. I also have some leftover Cookie Lee Jewelry and can get you a list of that. If you're looking for something handmade, like the beautiful bag I received, well... I could see what I could come up with.

First three to ask get the prizes.

Memories, All Alone in the Moonlight...

Now, as you might recall, this Desert Island is a pretty incredible place. You've been allowed to bring your favorite books, music, food, etc. All the comforts of home. But, we haven't talked about your loved ones yet.

Well, we're not going to now, either.

Memories. Many of us are blessed to have had it relatively smooth sailing most of our lives. Yes, we all have times we wish we could erase or do over, but mostly, many of us have scars that are not too deep. Thankfully.

What five memories are you happy to take to the island with you? Let's say you can replay these same five memories over and over again to help pass the time. What are they?

Extra points for extra detail. Remember, I started this blog for stimulating conversation.

Enjoy.

Comfort Food

I'm sure we all go through one of those days where it would be nice to just eat something to feed our soul. Or maybe I'm the only one who does that. Well, whatever the case, I'm feeling a bit on the cranky/blue side today and would love to have a heaping plate of real mashed potatoes covered in a brown gravy right in front of me.

I'm sure that even when you're trapped on a beautiful, warm deserted island you're bound to get a little moody occasionally. Share with us those five must-have foods that just make you feel good - like that wrapped-in-a-warm-blanket-on-a-cold-winter's-day kind of good. and let's just say that heart disease and high cholesterol do not exist on this island. Heh heh.

For me?
1. Those aforementioned mashed potatoes.
2. Mozzarella sticks. Not the crumbly, breaded kind. The ones wrapped in those egg roll wrappers, or whatever they're called. Mmmm mmm good!
3. Kraft Spiral Macaroni & Cheese (the noodle shape does make a difference in this case)
4. Starbucks' Iced Lemon Loaf - something about biting into this makes me sigh contentedly.
5. Hate to admit it, but McDonalds' french fries, in all their salty, greasy glory, are a wound-healer sometimes.

Normally, Diet Coke would be on this list (I just love that carbonated "aspartame burn" from that first swallow), but I've been off the Diet Coke for almost a week now. Yay, good for me. Now, just 999 more bad-for-me items that I must eliminate.

What would you bring?

P.S. I'm cooking up another post for this week. Check back soon.

Pizza

We've traveled a lot in the last seven years so naturally we've eaten at all sorts of establishments that have served anywhere from excellent to not-so-good food. The Walrus has sampled numerous 1 lb (pre-cooked weight) burgers from all over the country. We've been to Buffet chains and Buffets that are known only to that particular area.

Being an overweight American, one of my favorite foods is pizza. I'm not too fancy, I like plain cheese with one exception, which I will list below. These are the five pizzas I would take with me on the Island. (P.S. Thanks to ggg over at Ton-Fifty-One for inspiring the idea!)

5. The Margherita Pizza over at California Pizza Kitchen. This is my one "more-than-plain-cheese" exception, as it contains fresh tomato slices and something else I can't remember. Thankfully, this is available at your local grocer, and we now have an actual CPK at the Bayshore Towne Center in Milwaukee.

4. Papa Murphy's in Anytown, USA. They prepare a good pizza and the price is right.

3. Jack's Natural Rising Cheese Pizza (A frozen pizza found in your grocer's freezer aisle). I love a good, thick crust and I get that from this pizza.

2. This pizza joint on the island of Kauai serves a great pizza. It's actually a little deli-type place adjacent to a bigger, more expensive restaurant. The kind of place where you buy a can of soda rather than have a fountain beverage. I thought it would be the best pizza I'd ever had in my life until...

1. ... we discovered Brick Oven Pizza a few days later, also located on Kauai. The link will take you to a review as it seems the place doesn't have a website. It was quite delicious, made fresh, non-greasy, great crust. The kids get a ball of dough to play with and the ambience is casual and interesting... they have license plates from all over the country hanging up on nearly every square inch of available wall space. The history of it is also interesting, speaking of how the owners made their way over to Hawaii and established their now well-known restaurant. I believe a lot of family members work there, and the owners themselves are on-site, but the place doesn't look like a mom and pop shop, but more like the inside of, say, a Charcoal Grill or Chili's.

So there you have mine. What are yours? Also, if you have any "What Would You Bring" ideas, please pass them on to me.

Enjoy!

Conversations

Okay, I haven't posted my music selections yet, and I will, but it's interesting to hear what you've all (the three who responded, hint hint everyone else) selected. I can't say I'm familiar with most of it, but hell, that's why I started this blog: to learn things I never knowed.

Here's a new What Would You Bring, and I think it's a TOUGH one. Get crackin' and have your papers on my desk by... well, whenever the heck you can get to it.

What five conversations that you've had in your life affected you so much (in any way) that you still cherish them to this day? Let's say you could go back in time and record them and bring them to the Island to replay as often as you'd like. No major detail is required, but perhaps just the topic. Here are mine in no particular order:

1) My first conversation with Lisa on what is now "our usual spots" on her couch. We hadn't known each other very long, but the words just flowed with ease and there was so much honesty and revelation and it was absolutely one of the most refreshing conversations I've ever had (and she agrees).

2) A conversation I had with Amanda right before Emilie was born. Sitting across from each other in rocker/gliders in the finished baby's bedroom, we just had a very calming exchange. I can't even recall the topic(s), but Amanda often reminds me of that day and I trust it must have been lovely because she says so. I'd love to hear it again to remind myself what it was all about.

3) A conversation with Josh, a former coworker who was very much the Christian, wherein I revealed, at his prompting, why I no longer believe in god or have faith in much of anything.

4) In Hawaii last year I spent a lot of time talking with my Nana (my dad's mom), who accompanied us. I learned things like what she would have named my dad if he would have been a girl (Monica) and other such information that you just won't know until you ask. If I could compile all of our talks from those 10 days into one conversation, that would be nice to hear again.

5) Okay, I'm going to cheat a little on this one. I'd like to compile all of the conversations in which someone revealed that they loved me. It's nice to hear that from people, especially when it's totally unexpected, and I think it would provide some emotional stimulation while stranded on that Island. You need to be reminded that you are loved sometimes.

What are your conversations? Please share. Inquiring minds want to know.

Music

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted a new entry for a couple weeks. I do love the responses I have gotten so far, so I'd really like to keep this up!

There are two ways I was thinking about to introduce the music question. Since there are no rules on my version of Desert Island, I will offer those two choices here, and you can write about one or both (or make up your own. What do I care?).

Here you go:
You are able to take an iPod to Desert Island (which is totally solar-powered during the day and the energy lasts throughout the night). What would you bring?
Option 1: There is room for five albums. What five albums (with artists' names) would you include?
Option 2: There is room for only five songs. What five songs would you include?

And can you stand to only listen to the same five choices over and over again?

I received an iPod for Christmas and haven't started putting songs on it yet. If no one has thought of this service as a business opportunity yet, they should. I really want to do it but know it's going to take some work. Plus, I like to plan things out like that... write down all the songs I want on it, and the order I want them.

I will post my five choices soon. I can't wait to hear yours!

My Chosen Quotations

For one reason or another, these are the quotes I would bring. The last one, though, just makes me laugh out loud and hearing the sound of my own laughter on a deserted island might break up the monotony of the day.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels. - Pearl S. Buck

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas A. Edison

What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet. - Woody Allen

Quotations

One of mimikatemom's book selections inspired this choice for "What Would You Bring?".

Imagine you could bring five quotations with you for inspiration, motivation, reminding... whatever you use quotations for. What five quotes would they be. Are they written by others, or is there a motto that you've created and adopted that you would like to see everyday?

They don't necessarily have to pertain to your island-bound situation, though write what you may. Who am I to make up rules for Desert Island?

Enjoy.

My Choices For Books To Bring

Wow! I am 1) blown away by everyone's choices, and 2) blown away that people visited the blog. If you have it in your heart, could you link me on your blog? I'll return the favor if you drop me your blog address.

I love to discuss books. Reading will most certainly be listed as one of my "hobbies" or "favorite things to do" any time. That's why I chose this for my first "What Would You Bring?". I just had to know what and why.

So, without further ado, my book choices are:

1) Catcher In The Rye (ggg stole my heart by listing this as one of his choices). This is one of the funniest, saddest, most interesting stories and characters in modern literature in my opinion. I have read that book countless times, and I think I discover new places to laugh every time. Phoebe, Holden's little sister, is also written as an essential character and she makes me howl, too.

2) Music for Torching. This was written by my very favorite author, AM Homes. She is brilliant and honest and provocative. The way she writes has you experiencing feelings for certain situations, taboo situations, that you think you're not supposed to feel. I love all of her work. But, MFT leaves you in the whirlwind of the characters' lives and ends in such a way that makes you hungry for more. You might think, when finishing, "How can that happen, and what happens next?" While that may be torture for some, I love it!

3) Lolita. Another provocative piece of work. Perhaps that's what I like? I don't know, but the story is so interesting and makes you wonder just who you are supposed to sympathize with - the hopeless older man, or the vulnerable-but-not little girl.

4) Some sort of self-help motivational book. I think I might get sad and lonely out there (after the initial joy of the sudden and dramatic weight-loss I would inevitably experience) and just may need a pick-me-up.

5) How To Survive on a Desert Island. I don't know if this title actually exists, but I don't know how to build a fire, kill something for food, or the 101 ways to turn sand into a delicacy. I would need some instruction. It's just not one of those books you think you need until you need it.

The best thing I've taken from this post was the recommendations of my fellow bloggers. I am going to hit some books stores to check out a few of your selections because of your passion for your choices and your reasons for choosing what you did.

Feel free to continue adding. I will post a new "what would you bring" soon.

Thanks for reading.

Books

We are going to start simple here. Books are my favorite thing. I love to read books, discuss books, buy them, share them, give them... you get the picture. Now tell me:

What FIVE books would you bring with you to a Desert Island?

And why should someone else add your books to their list?

Just For The Stimulation Of It

I am a huge fan of the show The Office. I find it to be one of the funniest sitcoms/mockumentaries I've ever seen. The subtle humor, the face drama, all of it. Quite enjoyable and not for the weak-of-mind (some people just don't get it. Of course, I don't get "gaming" either, so perhaps I am weak of, um, nerdiocity?).

Anyway, in Season Two there is an episode called The Fire, in which the smoke alarms go off and the occupants of the building must stand outside until the source is discovered and extinguished. During their stint outside, they play a couple games including, "Who Would You Do?" and "Desert Island." To play Desert Island, you simply name five things of a certain category that you would take with you on a deserted island. That's it.

But the underlying reason is to stimulate some conversation. I am a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and while my soont-to-be four year-old is quite precocious, especially verbally, I don't quite get all the intelligent conversation that I require. I like to ask, and be asked, questions and get, and give, thought-out, articulate answers.

So, if you've read this far you are ready to play. Even when the posts get old, feel free to add your comments/answers/suggestions. One rule: Don't bash anyone else's choices. You know, do unto others and all that.

So, let's go.